A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of mine who also just happens to be a fire buff
told me about a documentary
about firefighters
that he thought I might want
to see. Knowing a lot of firefighters, volunteer and paid, and having been to a
couple of fires (no, I'm not a firefighter, but I've been inside a burning
building), I have always had a healthy respect for what these men and women do.
I could think of nothing I would want to do more than hear stories of some of
the most experienced firefighters in New York. And so it was that I sat in
front of the screen and watched A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY.

First airing on
HBO
in September 2014, A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY begins with actor
Steve Buschemi. A firefighter for four years in the 1980s before going on to
become an acclaimed actor, Steve Buschemi shares a bond with fellow firefighters
that those of us who have never been on the job would ever know. As Buschemi
says, though he can no longer put out fires, being a firefighter has always been
something that resonates with him and something he always finds himself coming
back to.

Buschemi goes on
to interview a number of firefighters, chiefs, officers and retirees in an
effort to give those of us who don't fight fires for a living an idea of what
makes these men and women tick. We learn why some of them joined the fire department
and how hard it was for women and black Americans to join the FDNY.
We learned about what rookies go through in training and the good natured rookie
pranking that goes on in firehouses. We also learned about the not-so-good
natured stuff that happened to some of the first blacks and some of the first
women who got on the job.

Next we are
treated to stories about some of the worst fires in New York City, fires like
the 23rd Street fire
and collapse, the Happy Land fire and more. We learn what
it is like for firefighters to witness their first deaths or be in a situation
where their own life is in danger. We learn about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
that firefighters quietly suffer - no one can understand what they've
been through except another firefighter, so why talk to anyone about it.

It's interesting
to note that these firefighters remember traumatic events in their careers like
it was yesterday, some even getting choked up when remembering events of over
forty years ago. It's touching to see just how much they actually care about
the people their attempting to rescue and how surprised they find themselves
when they are hit with those feelings out of the blue.

And then, we
reach the most traumatic loss of life for the New York Fire Department -
September 11, 2001. We hear from people who were there, people who spent time
sifting through the rubble of the Twin Towers
looking for survivors or bodies, often times members
of their own family. Steve Buschemi came back to Engine 55 in order to help in
that task. We hear from one retired member who happened to be on vacation in
New Mexico
at the time and lost quite a few people she had worked with at Ground Zero. And
then we learn of the aftermath of September 11th - not just the losses of the
day, but the losses to come of those who have gotten sick long after being at
Ground Zero on the day of and the days after the attacks.

As I sat
mesmerized by this documentary, I couldn't help thinking that Steve Buschemi and
HBO perfectly encapsulated what being a firefighter is all about in this
documentary. Those who have never been on the job or don't know anyone on the
job may be surprised to learn about the training, the brotherhood, the trauma.
They may be wondering why anyone would want to run into a burning building prior
to watching this. They may still wonder after watching the documentary, but
they will definitely understand that it takes a very special person to do what
FDNY firefighters do every day, risking their lives - physical, emotional and
psychological - to keep people safe.

A Good Job:
Stories of the FDNY is an incredible documentary that any fireman can be
proud of. It definitely is something I would recommend to firefighters, buffs
and anyone who knows someone on the job or even someone considering the job.
Steve Buschemi may be an actor now, but he will always be a member of the
brotherhood that is the FDNY and who better than he to interview these valiant
men and women who risked it all to save lives.